Roller-skate.



PATENTED DEC. 17, 1907.

0. M. PALMER.

ROLLER SKATE.

APPLIGATIOR FILED APR. 20. 1907.

approved mechanical embodiment of the unrrnn STATES PATENT onrron.

CHARLES M. PALMER, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ROLLER-SKATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 17, 1907.

Application filed- April 20. 1907- Serial No. 369.287.

T o c-ZZ whom itmay concem:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES M. 1 3A LMER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of auxiliary means of propulsion in addition to' the usualskating movements.

To this end the invent-ion coniprehends, as its rinci al feature, the provision of slotted inc ined earings for the rear wheel of the skate, in combination with a rack and pinion mechanism as hereinafter more particularly described, whereby the weight of the skater on the heel of the skate automatically tends to propel the skate forwardly while the axle of the rear wheel is traveling through the i'nclined slots from front to rear, during which time the racks and pinions are engaged with each other; while, when the skaters foot is raised, thepinions are disengaged from the racks and return bygravity to the forward or lower ends of the slots.

The invention will be readily understood when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate an invention, wherein Figure :1 is a side elevational View of a roller skate equipped with my improved propelling mechanism. Fig. 2 is a crosssectional View takenion the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail View showing in inside elevation one of the su porting brackets at the rear of the skate. ig. 4 is a cross-sectional detail on an enlarged scale through one of the rack and pinion devices on one side of the skate in a planecoincident with the axis of the rear-Wheel. l Fig. 5 is a fragmentary ele vation or one of the hubs: of the rear wheel with the shaft: :1 p'earing incross-section and moreparticular y showing-the pinion. Fig.

'6 is a sectional View on the line 6-6 of F ig.

5, vii-thither: shaftomitted Referring tor-the drawings, may desig-; nateethe-foot-rest; Iii-the heel guard, 12 the rrontxrrollers; and 13 the fiont brackets in which theifront'rollers are "-j ournaled,*which washers, each of which has a cylindric parts may be of the ordinary or usual construction of metal frame skates.

Beneath the heel of the skate are a pair of depending side brackets 14 thacniay conven iently be stamped and pressed from a blank of sheet steel, and may be formed integral with the rear section of the foot support; as shown' The lower portion of each of these brackets 14 is formed with an inclined slot 15, the metal forming the u per' margin of the slot being turned inward y as shown at 16 in Figs. 2 and 4, and the: inner-edge of said inturned portion being downwardly turned and provided with a row of teeth whefieby to form a rack 17. This rack termini t somewhntshort of the ends'oi the slo fin order to ail'ord at the latterpoints forward and rear seats 18 and 19, respectiyely, for

roller hearings in whichthe axle of the wheel may turn freely, as hereinafter n ore particularly described.

2U designates as an entirety the rear wheel or roller of the skate which. as herein shown,

may cheaply and strongly be formed by pressed steel sides 21 and a tread JZZ interlocked with the peripheries' of the side-plates, as shown. The side-plntesZl at their (zenters are pressed or bulged outwardly to form hubs 23. which latter are centrally apertured to receive the axle 2-1 passed therethr'ough. T he met al immediately surrounding the ax'i a1 apertures of the hub is radiall sli ted to form a series of tongues, certain of whi are then pressed outwardly to form pinion teeth 25, while the alternate tongues are pressed inwardly or in the opposite direction, as shown at 26 (Fig. 6) to thereby form bearings for the wheel on the she-it'll. The teeth25 of. the pnnons he in the same vertical planes \Yl'tllhlid directly engage the inclined racks 17 when the device is in its operative or working position, as may be seen by refer:

duccd portions 27 of the shaft are interposed tion 29- designed-k-to have arolline bear-in upon the underside of the'inwardly turne flange 16 of the supporting bracket, and a radial flangeSO of sufiicientdiameter to over- .lap the opposite edges of the slot 15, and

thus prevent longitudinal (lisplaceme ntof the shaft in its bearings. It wi ai porl'be obser'rfed. 1 10 '26- i 'to hold the cylindrical portion 29 of the fviee,o .that the slots are of awidth' sufh' ciently greater than the diameter of the cylindrical portions 29 of the washers engaging said slots to permit a complete disengagement of the pinions from the racks when the washers are engaged w ith the low er edges of the slot-s on the return movement of the'wheel. It is also an important feature of my device that theseat-s 18 at the lower end of slots 15 be of such form as washers in such position that the pinions will not engage the racks w hen the skate-is moving backward and will iminediately become in mesh when the skate is moving forward. a

In the. operation of the device, when the skaters foot is raised from the flooror ground,

the wheel, together with its shaft, pinions,

I and roller bearing members represented by v .30

the flanged washers, slides bodily on the lower edges of, the slots down to the low er 1 ends of the latter, during which movement the inions are disengaged from the racks, as a ready explained. The foot being then returned to the floor or ground and the skaters weight applied thereon, by virtue of the inclined slotted bearings in the heel brackets of the skate frame engaging the shaft of the rear wheel, and, the cooperating racks and pinions which at once come into engagement, the skate receives a forward.

. impulse which is continuous until the shaft of the rear wheel has traveled fromthe lower forward ends to the higher rear ends of the inclined slots. As soon as the shaft of the rear wheel reaches the latter position, "the pinions run off the ends of the racks and the washers engage the rear seats 19, whereby the skate may continue the forward movement under the acquired momentum or under a skating strokeof the wearer without contact or injury to the rack and pinion mechanism. As the skate is once more raised and the wearers foot swung forward the above-described operations are repeated.

- It will also be observed that the pinions and racks are out of engagement at the extreme lower or forward position of the rear wheel,

thus permitting the pinions to enter upon enga ement with the racks under a-relative trave ing vmovement, and preventing the teeth of the pinions and racks from receiving the wei ht of the wearer when the foot is returned to the floor.

I am aware that it is old to employ in roller beneath the heel portion f erases skates the principle of inclined bearings co operating withthe shafts of the front and rear rollers of a. skate, with a rack and pinion mechanism controlling, the rolling .movement of the shaft of the rear roller along its inclined bearing, and I do-not claim the same broadly. But so far 881 am'aware my invention presents a novel improvement in-the construction whereby the rear rollermay slide back from the rear to the front'of its slotted bearing while the rack and-- pinion mechanism is disengaged, thus-affording a much quicker return movement to the rear or propelling wheel than where the rack and pinion mechanism is continuously engaged and whereby also the rear roller may turn freely ateither end of the slotted bearwithout injury to the rack and pinion mechanism. It will also be' observed that in my improved skate the forward rollers are journaled on a fixed shaft and have no rising and falling movement relatively to the skate frame. The result of this is that the heel portion of the skate frame possesses a limited vertical swinging movement on the shaft of the forward rollers as a center during each forward movement of the skate when n contact with the floor, the result of which is to .make the inclines of the bearings of the rear roller steepest at the start and, gradually decreasing or approaching the horizontal toward the end oft-he stroke, so that the skater receives a decided forward impulse when his weight is first applied at the beginning of the stroke, which impulse is of gradually lessening force as the stroke progresses to the end.

As above mentioned, the skate may be used on a smooth pavement or floor by simply a walking movement, wherein the propulsive force is produced wholly by the weight of the wearer; or the skate may be used in the ordinary manner of roller skates, in which case the weight of the wearer exerts additional or auxiliary propulsive force" to that exerted by the usual skating movement while skating forward; and on account of the raised seats at the forward ends of the inclined bearings, the pinion and ratchet gearing will not become engaged when the skate is moved backward.

I claim: I I 1. In a roller skate, the combination with a foot-supporting frame having depending brackets and front rollers journaled therein on a fined axis of rotation, of rear brackets beneath the heel portion of the-skateframe having inclined slots with seats at both ends, and a rear roller the shaft whereof is mounted to have a rolling bearing in said inclined slots,

substantially as described.-

2. In a roller skate, the combination with a foot-supporting frame having depending brackets and front rollers journaledtherein on a fixed axis of rotation ofrear brackets the skatehaving I said slots, and a rear roller the shaft whereof is mounted to have a'rolling bearing on the upper edges of said slots, said roller having pinions of substantially equal diameter with the slot-engaging portions of the shaft, said pi nions engaging said racks-during the rolling engagement of the roller shaft in its inclined bearings, substantially as described.

4. In a roller skate, the combination with afoot-supporting frame and rollers supporting the forward end thereof, of rear brackets beneath the-heel portion of theskate having inclined slots with seats at both ends and also racks d1s osed alongside the upper edges of said 3 ots, a rear roller the shaft whereof is mounted to have a rolling bearing on the upper edges of said slots, and inions fast with said rear roller en 'aging sai racks. said slots having a. width exceeding the diameter of the roller shaft whereby said pinions are disengaged from said racks on the return or downward movement of the rear roller relatively to its slotted bearings,

substantially as described.

5. In a roller skate, the combination with a foot-supporting frame and rollers supporting the forward end thereof, of rear brackets beneath the heel portion of the skate having inclined slots the metal constituting the uper margins whereof is offset laterally to 'orm smooth bearing surfaces and is formed along one edge of the latter with racks, a rear roller mounted between said rear brackets, the hub whereof is rovided with pinions adapted to engage sait racks, a shaft carrying said rear roller and extended through said slotted bearings. and washers secured on the ends of said shaft in rolling engagement with the smooth bearing surfaces of said slots, substantially as described.

6. In a roller skate, the combination with a foot-supptn-ting frame and rollers supporting the forward end thereof. of rear brackets beneath the heel portion of the skate having parallel inclined slots each provided on its upper edge with a smooth bearing surface and seats at both ends and a rack disposed alongside thereof. a rear roller mounted be tween said rear brackets, the hub whereof is provided with pinions adapted to engage said racks. a shaft carrying said rear roller and, extended throu h said slotted bearings, and

washers secured on the endsof said shaft.

said washers having cylindrical ortions of substantially e ual diameter wit said pmions and in ro ling engagement with the' smooth bearing surfaces of said slots, substantially as described.

CHARLES M. PALMER.

Witnesses:

SAMUEL N. Pom), FREDERICK C. GOODWIN. 

